Austerity measures in Berlin: Culture and traffic are faced with collapse!

Austerity measures in Berlin: Culture and traffic are faced with collapse!

In Berlin, a rigorous savings program is launched due to acute financial bottlenecks. The Senate has announced that it will save three billion euros in the 2025 budget, which is severely affected both public transport and cultural grants. In a message from the IGEG passenger association, the planned reduction of 660 million euros in the area of mobility is called "scandal". This could have devastating consequences for the S-Bahn and the BVG, which already have to deal with challenges, such as berlin-live.de reported.

The cuts seem particularly serious at the recently introduced 29-euro ticket, which is now to be abolished by the end of 2025. This measure is criticized as incomprehensible, while the Senate argues that the lack of income from ticket sales must be used in other ways, as in school catering or in the free transportation of students. At the same time, the BVG is massively hindered the planning of new tram lines and the switch to electric buses, which puts the upcoming climate goals in danger and could slow down the expansion of the public infrastructure, such as rbb24.de not.

massive cuts in culture and environment

Further savings concern culture and environmental protection, whereby a total of around 130 million euros should be lost in this sector. The German theater, the Volksbühne and other important cultural institutions have to throw the rod into the grain and accept sensitive defects. In environmental policy, the climate protection program is shortened with almost 20 million euros, while granting for projects such as the conversion of the prince's pool to climate -neutral energies are completely deleted. Overall, it will be an extremely challenging time for many institutions and projects in Berlin, since the financial means shrink and remain unresolved in the Senate.

The cuts and the handling of it triggered horror for many citizens of Berlin, and the feeling that the necessary program planning and the administration were blatantly refused here. The IGEG demands more transparency and is not only to stretch the projects, but rather to provide the promised funds for the infrastructure. For many Berliners, the coming years are likely to be a massive step backwards in the traffic turnaround and cultural development.